William e



. 3". PQEfiGU HQN-W Device for Preventing the Shifting of Grain flargoes.

No. 225,5 8.]. Patented Mar. 16,1880.

- L l: T51

ATTORNEYS.

".PETERS, mom-urhoafiwnen, WASHINGTON. p c.

UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE.

WILLIAME. FERGUSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

DEVICE FOR PREVENTING THE SHIFTING OF GRAlN-CARGOES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 225,581, dated March 16, 1880.

' Application filed January 30, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. FERGUSON, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Devices for Preventing the Shifting of Grain-Oargoes, of which the following is a specification.

Figure l is a plan of the central portion of a vessel with the deck partly broken away, the better to show the improved devices. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional elevation of the same on line 00 00, Fig. 1.' Fig. 3 is a detail view.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre-,

sponding parts.

This invention is designed to prevent the shifting of grain-cargoes in vessels and to strengthen the vessel at its weakest point, or at the point exposed to the greatest strain when the vessel is loaded to the dead-weight capacity with a cargo of grain.

The invention consists of an inclined shifting-board formedwof braces covered on their under sides with sheathing fixed in the hold or between decks of a vessel, and arranged so as to extend from the sides of the vessel up to near the center of the upper deck, the heads of the said braces being connected by keys, thus forming a series of truss-braces across the vessel on beams and carlings extending fore and aft the whole length of the vessel, and these braces being shaped on the under side in the form of an inverted arch, or so as to present an obtuse angle on the under side, a shifting-board is thus formed presenting its strongest side downward in the direction of the greatest pressure; and it further consists of channels or passage-ways of suflicient size to permit a man to pass down into the wings of the vessel to trim the cargo, formed by an offset or break in the shifting-boards for the purpose of loading the wings; and it consists, further, of scuttles or hatches in the lower part of the shifting-boards, near the sides of the vessel, for the purpose of easily discharging the grain that is loaded in the wings.

I In the drawings, A represents the hull of the vessel; B, the lower deck; 0, the upper deck; D, the vertical central shifting-planks that are ordinarily used on grain-vessels. E E represent,respectively, the obtuse-angled brace and the curved or inverted arch brace, connected at their tops by the key F, thus forming, in combination'with said key, a trussbrace whose lower ends rest upon beams or other offsets G, at the sides of the vessel, as

shown. These truss-braces are placed a short distance apart, and extend fore and aft the whole length of the vessel, and stifl'en the vessel greatly at its weakest point, so as to prevent the opening of its leeward seams when thrown on its side. I

H H are the sheathings of boards or planks, fastened to the under sides of the braces E E,

and extending fore and aft the entire length of the vessel.

I l are the hatchways in the deck 6, and K K are the channels or passage-ways into the wings L, said channels K being of sufficient size to permit the easy loading of the said wings, and being formed by depressions or offsets in the shifting-boards H.

M is a cover of one of these passage-ways K. N N are the scuttles or hatches in the lower parts of the shifting-boards H, near the sides of the vessel, for the purpose of discharging the grain from the wings into the hold 0 of the vessel, whence it maybe readily discharged through the hatchways I, and these scuttles or hatches N are closed by covers I, that may be so constructed and arranged as to be easily removable from above or below the shifting-boards H.

Having thus fully described my invention,

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination, with the sides and deck-timbers of vessel A, of the braces E E and a key, F, with which the heads of said braces abut, thus forming a truss-brace across the said vessel, substantially as herein shown, and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, with the vessels hold,

E E, presenting a convex curve or obtuse angle on their under sides, so that the crown of the arch is downward, as shown and described, for the purpose specified.

3. The combination, with the braces E E and shifting-boards H, the latter having hatches N, of the covers P for said hatches,

.of the shifting-boards H and the truss-braces 

